Third rail supporting device



July 21, 1936. w. c. BANKS THIRD RAIL SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 16, 1955 FIG.3

M Wil E FIG.2

INVENTOR. WILLIAM C. BANKS ATTORNEY.

Patented July 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,048,367 THIRD RAIL SUPPORTING DEVICE William 0. Banks, Jersey City, N. J. Application October 16, 1935, Serial No. 45,261-

4 Claims.

i relationship exists between the two contacting elements which must be maintainedto insure the supply of electric energy to the train.

This invention is concerned with the problem arising when a change made in the existing sys- 1 tem results in a change of position or relative displacement of the contact shoe withrespect to the power rail which upsets the required operating relationship of the contact elements. Consequently, it is one object of this invention to devise simple and efiicient compensating means for rendering existing power rail supports, for instance, those disclosed in my Patent. No. 1,837,096, granted Dec. 15, 1931, adaptable to such a condition of structural change; to make possible the re-location of the power rail; and more specifically, the using of higher or taller rails, all without necessitating discard of the. existing component partsof the supports; without impairing their structural stability, or efliciency; and without disturbing the substantially permanently anchored main base element thereof. For this reason, the invention contemplates providing a height-increasing adaptor element as a compensating element or means. to be incorporated in an existing rail support.

According to one feature, an auxiliary base or adaptor member is. interposedbetween the conventional, rail supporting. insulator. body and its original or main base element. and the position of this adaptor member is insured by its engaging relationship with the associatedparts of the rail supporting structure in which it is incorporated. Other features relate to the. specific shape of the adaptor member. in view of its adaptation to an existing rail. supporting arrangement. w The rail support disclosed in the above: mentioned patent comprises a main basel element having means for insuring thereon. the position of a rail supporting insulating body. Normally, the base element is suitably anchored relative to the ground and has arising stemwhich carries a rail protector which is spaced from. andioverilying the top of the: power. rail, and. according to that patent thespacebetweentheltopr or con,-

tact face of the power rail and the protector is made adjustable to meet the space requirements of the contactshoe which is to lodge and operate within that space.

" In a preferred embodiment, an auxiliary base 5 or adaptor member is inserted between the original or existing base element and the existing insulator body. for the purposeof elevating the power rail upward a pre-determined distance,

incidentally to suit an upward relocation of the contact shoe. Such change in elevation of the power rail can be seconded by a corresponding adjustment of the rail. protector. The auxiliary base member interengages with the associated component elements of the rail support in such a manner that positive pre-determined positioning and bearing interrelationship of all parts of the combination is insured.

.The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description. In the accompanying drawing, for the purpose of example, there has been illustrated the best embodiment of the invention now known, but such embodiment is to be regarded as typical only of many possible embodiments and the invention is not to be limited thereto.

In the drawing: a

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a standard rail supporting and protector arrangement havting the novel adaptor member incorporated therein..

Fig. 2 is a detailed section taken along line 2-2 upon Fig. 1,. showing the interengagement oi the adaptor'member with the existing main base element. v

" Fig. 3 isa section taken along line 33 upon Fig.1}

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the adaptor element.

The railsupporting structure herein contemplated basically includes a main base element 10, which may be stamped out of fiat material, formed with a fiat bottom portion H, a cylindrical' portion or boss l2- rising therefrom, and a pair of marginal or peripheral upstanding flange portions I3 and M; The base portion continues upwardly at one side thereof into a rising stem'portion l5 upon which is to be adjustably sustaineda rail protector Iii-having a corresponding depending stem portion I! which is shown to be adjustably mounted upon the rising stem' portion I5 in the manner substantially described in. the above mentioned Patent 1,837,096, as by means of bolt. and nut connections l8 and I9 holdrail 25.

According to the present invention there is provided a hollow adaptor member or auxiliary base member 27 shaped to sustain and'position the insulator body 25 thereon substantially the same as the main base element lD'is designed to do, but

also adapted in turn itself to be positioned and seated upon the main base element ID. With this hollow adaptor member 21 interposed between the main base-element Illand the insulator body 25, the latter will be sustained in a pre-determined raised or relocated position. I

It should be understood that in its relocated position the insulator body 25 need not necessarily register with the vertical center line of its original position, but that it is herein shown to be thus in registry inview of the fact that the contact shoeinot shown) should have been displaced in vertical direction only due to an increase in the height of the track rails.

Consequently, one preferred form as disclosed in Fig.1 shows the hollow adaptor element 21 to be circular, and concentrically arranged with respect to'the cylindrical protrusion or boss l2 of the main base element it]. Therefore, the adaptor element or auxiliary base member 21 comprises'an annular substantially flat faced body portion 28 upon which is to engage a correspond ing annular bottom face of the insulator body 25; and it comprises a rising cylindrical central reduced top portion or boss 29 of substantially the same dimension as the boss l2 of the'main base element Ill to serve for'positioning the insulator body by'extending into the hollow or depression 29 thereof, and it finally includes a marginal or peripheral downwardly extending skirtportion 30 which in, turn serves to' position the adaptor member 27' relative'to'the'main base element It]. While the adaptor member 27 may thus be positioned by virtue of theconcentric relation of the downwardly extending skirt portion 30"thereof with respect to the upwardly extending flange portions or ribs I3, I'4,'of the main base element I0,it should be understood that the protrusion or boss I2 may also serve as a centering means for the adaptor member 21 with respect to the cen-' tral interior portion thereof. V

'In the practice of the invention and in assembling the'new combination'of elements, if it is to be assumed that in the existing installation of the 7 power rail all parts of the original rail supporting structure and especiallythe height of the insulator body 25 had been designed to correspond to thepre-determined location of the contact shoe of the power driving car of thetrain, then a con- --tral interior portion ofsaidmember.

interpose between them the above described adaptor member 21.

It will be noted that the insertion between the standard parts, that is to say, between the insulator member 25 and the main base element ll, of the adaptor member 2'! designed to interengage with these parts, will provide an auxiliary base for the insulator member and the rail, which as to mechanical security is equivalent to the original mounting of the insulator body in its primary base position directly upon the main base element l0. Moreover, inasmuch as the auxiliary base "'or; adaptor member 2"! is designed to simulate the eifectivecontours of the original base, there is found no impairment of the insulating capacity v of the insulator body 25.

capable of being inserted between and associated 20 with the standard parts of existing power rail installations for the'purposedescribedand in the manner described.

Although the weight'of-the power rail can to a certain extent be relied upon to hold the compo- 25 nent parts of the structure in their interrelated position, additional conventional ties may be provided tosecure the assembly.

Iclaim": r r

1. In a power rail assembly, the combination with a power' rail, an insulator body upon which said rail rests and which insulator body has a depression arranged substantially centrally in the bottom thereof and in shape substantially corresponding to a boss hereinafter to me mentioned, and a fixed main base elemerit adapted to support said insulator body and said rail, said base element having upstanding marginal 'fiange portions and a; central rising substantiallycylindrical boss adapted to extend into and lodge in the depression of said insulator body, of a substantially hollow adaptor member interposed between said base element and'said insulator body and thereby substantially enclosing said boss, whereby to eife'ct the re-location to a relatively raised' position of said power rail, while sustaining "s aid insulator'membersin spaced relation with-the base element, which adaptor member comprises "a substantially horizontal body portion uponwhich to sustain the corresponding bottom portion of the insulator body, a'periph eral skirt portion extending down from said body-portion and adapted to rest upon said'base element and extending into a'position-defining relationship with'said upstanding marginal flange portions, and also comprises a central,cylindri cal reduced top portion substantially;correspond- -ing to the shapevof and. extendingflinto the depression of 'said insulatoriimember,- said skirt 6O portion being sufliciently high and substantially at least as high as said boss so as to insure the 2. In a power rail assembly, the combination with a power rail, an insulator body upon which corresponding to a boss hereinafter to be mentioned, andza 'fixed main. base. element adapted 'to support: said insulator body and said rail, said base. element having a rising substantially: cylindricalboss adapted tolextend intoland lodge 7 penthe bottom thereof and in shape substantially in the depression of said insulator body and thereby capable of positioning the insulator body relative to said base element, of a substantially hollow adaptor member interposed between said base element and said insulator body and substantially enclosing said boss, whereby to effect the re-location to a relatively raised position of said power rail while sustaining said insulator member in spaced relation with the base element, which adaptor member comprises a substantially horizontal body portion upon which to sustain the corresponding bottom portion of the insulator body, a peripheral skirt portion extending from said body portion and, adapted to rest upon said base element, and also comprises a central rising hollow cylindrical reduced top portion substantially corresponding to the inner contours of and extending into the depression of said insulator member, said boss extending into substantially concentric and centering relationship with the interior contour of the bottom section of said topportion so as to define thereby the position of the adaptor member relative to said base element.

3. In a power rail assembly, the combination comprising a power rail, an insulator body upon which said rail rests and which insulator body has a depression arranged substantially centrally in the bottom thereof and substantially corresponding to a boss hereinafter to be mentioned, a fixed main base element adapted to support said insulator body and said rail, said base element having a rising substantially cylindrical boss adapted to extend into and lodge in the depression of said insulator body when the same is located in its primary base position directly upon said main base element, a substantially hollow adaptor member interposed between said base element and said insulator body and thereby substantially enclosing said boss, whereby to effect the re-location to a relatively raised position of said power rail while sustaining said insulator member in spaced relation with said base element, which adaptor member comprises a relatively wide base portion adapted to rest upon and to engage in predetermined po sition upon said base element and substantially surrounding said boss, and further comprises a reduced cylindrical top portion substantially corresponding to the shape of an extending into the depression of said insulator member, said adaptor member thus being effective to m terengage with said base element on the one hand and with the insulator body on the other hand so as to maintain and insure a predetermined interrelationship of said base element and said insulator body and which relationship is substantially equivalent mechanically and electrically to the maintaining of the parts in said primary position.

4. In a power rail assembly, the combination comprising a power rail, an insulator body upon which said rail rests and which insulator body has a depression substantially centrally in the bottom thereof and substantially corresponding to a boss hereinafter to be mentioned, a fixed main base element having a rising substantially cylindrical boss adapted to extend into and lodge in the depression of said insulator body, a substantially hollow adaptor member interposed between said base element and said insulator thereby substantially ocoluding said boss and sustaining said insulator member in spaced relation with the base element, which adaptor member comprises a relatively wide base portion. adapted to rest upon and to engage in predetermined position upon said base element and substantially surrounding said boss, and further a reduced top portion extending into and sub-' WILLIAM C. BANKS. 

